Safety latch for vehicle doors



March 11, 1958 A. KURILENKO SAFETY LATCH FOR VEHICLE DOORS Filed Sept. 22, 1955 United States Patent SAFETY LATCH FOR VEHICLE DOQRS Alexander Kurilenko, South Williamsport, Pa.

Application September 22, 1955, Serial No. 535,846

2 Claims. (Cl. 292177) This invention relates to simple and novel means which is suitably and efiectually constructed and mounted on an appropriate portion of a vehicle body in a manner to cooperate with a conventional-type hinged door and which automatically functions, under predetermined conditions and circumstances, to latch the intended door so that it stays closed in case of an accident, whereby to prevent a person or persons adjacent to the door from being thrown out of the vehicle.

As is well known, many mishaps, injuries and deaths are attributed to vehicle accidents where, for instance, a collision, crash or the like results in a door buckling or becoming sprung, notwithstanding the usual fastening Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying sheet of drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts througout the views:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the body of an automobile or equivalent vehicle showing the striker plate, and below it, the latching end of the improved safety latch;

Fignre 2 is an exaggerated view in section and elevation I showing the improved anti-door-opening safety latch and means, whereupon one or more passengers are catapulted through the then open doorway. Others working in this field of endeavor have recognized the problem and have sought in one manner or another to solve it and to save lives and limbs. To the end that a more reliable and efficient solution may be adapted and become a reality, the instant invention is olfered.

With a view toward achieving desired end results the instant invention contemplates the adaption and use of a normally released automatic-type vehicle door safety latch which is rendered operable if andwhen a cooperating door is sprung out of its normal right or aligned position by way of an emergency stop, head-on crash or similar forward motion resisting collision.

Briefly, the principal objectives are realized through the medium of the structural combination characterized by a vehicle body having at least one hingedly mounted conventional-type door. Within the vicinity of the usual striker plate the vertical edge of the door is provided with a restricted keeper hole and a spring-returned and retained latch bolt or plunger is operatively mounted for recipracation in a suitable horizontally disposed barrel on the adjacent portion of the body to provide a projectible and retractible leading and latching end. This is in line with and projectible into and through said keeper hole. The latch bolt is normally retracted and inert when the vehicle is at a standstill or, alternatively, is in motion in traveling ahead normally, but is caused to project against the tension of its complemental spring into and through said keeper hole when a prerequisite impetus is imparted to the latch bolt as a result of an unexpected emergency stop, a head-on or similar crash or like accident, whereby to prevent said door from accidentally opening and allowing the adjacent passenger to be thrown from the vehicle.

More specifically, the latch means construed as an article of manufacture comprises an elongate barrel or cylinder in which the latch bolt is slidably mounted for reciprocation. The latch bolt has a body portion and a stem portion defining a shoulder with the stem portion surrounded by a coil spring with the coil spring and latch bolt essentially confined in the barrel. At the forward or leading end the barrel is provided with an apertured attaching plate which is secured to the body to position the latching end of the bolt in proper registry and cooperative relationship relative to the keeper hole.

the manner in which it is constructed and mounted and functions; and,

Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the components which go to make up the over-all latch construction.

Referring first to Figure l, the numeral 4 designates a relatively stationary part of an automobile or equivalent vehicle body. This may be a door post. However, it is sufficient to designate 4 as a body portion. The vertical surface thereof is denoted at 6 and mounted thereon, as is customary, is a striker plate 8. The improved safety latch means is mounted on the same edge 6 within the vicinity of or preferably below the striker plate 8. Referring now to Figure 3, the elongate cylindrical barrel or cylinder is denoted by the numeral 10 and the open end is referred to as the leading end and it is denoted at 12. The opposite or rearward trailing end is denoted at 14 in Figure 2 and it is closed. The projectible and retractible plunger or latch bolt is denoted by the numeral 16, and it is of prescribed material and mass and it has an enlarged cylindrical body portion 18 and an axial forwardly projecting reduced cylindrical stem portion 20. At the junctional connection between 18 and 20 there is a shoulder 22. As shown in the assembly view in Figure 2, the over-all plunger or latch bolt is slightly longer 'than'the barrel but its portions are essentially confined in the barrel. The body portion is to the left and rearward and the stern portion projects through the end 12 and through a snug-fitting central aperture 24 in the attaching plate 26. The end 12 of the barrel is concentrically welded or otherwise secured to the rear of the plate to line up the parts properly. The coil spring, which is a light tensioned spring, is denoted by the numeral 28 and it encircles the stem and bears at its rearward end against the shoulder 22 and at its forward end against the rear of the plate 26. Obviously, an opening is provided in the surface 6, as shown in Figure 2, and the assembly is slipped through the opening and the plate is superposed on the surface and secured there to by screws or similar fasteners 30. It will be understood that this means is mounted in the body portion 4. The conventional door is denoted by the numeral 32 and the opposed vertical surface 34 is here provided with a keeper hole 36 of an outside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of the projectible and retractible latching stem 20.

It will be clear that outside force is relied upon to project the latch bolt 16 while a spring of proper tension as at 28 is relied upon to return the latch bolt and to maintain it under normal circumstances in the released position shown in Figure 2. In passing it may be men tioned that the inertia principle is involved here wherein it is to be kept in mind that it has to do with the property of matter by virtue of which a physical body persists in a state of rest until acted upon by an external force. When the impetus or impulse is received or applied resulting from an abnormal stop or head-on crash into an obstacle, this develops the intended momentum and comprises the energy or force which automatically propels the latching plunger (resulting from its mass) from its inert or released position to its door latching position. That is to say, in the case of a crash or a sudden stop, the force applied to the plunger means 16 compresses the light spring 28,and a reduced latching end 20 of a latch moves in through 'the keeper hole' 36 as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. Manifestly', if the door has not changed its right position, the plunger, because of the reaction and strength of the spring, slides back and is housed in the barrel in its original position as shown in full lines in'Figure 2. In case of a collision where the doorchanges its right position, the keeper hole 36 distorts or bends the plunger end 20. Consequently, the door is kept closedandjthis preventsthe adjacent .passenger from falling out or being thrown from the vehicle as is obvious. a

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A normally released safety latch which is rendered operable if and when the door of a vehicle body provided therewith is sprung out of normal alignment as a result of an emergency stop comprising, an encasing barrel having means whereby it may be operativelysupported in a given position on a selected part of the vehicle body, a spring returned and retained inertia projected latch bolt precision-fitted and operatively mounted for reciprocation in said barrel and having a projectible and retractible latch-end in line with and automatically projectible into a keeper hole provided therefor in the vehicle door, said latch bolt being normally retracted but being caused to project against the normal retentive tension of its returnspring into and through the attachable end of the barrel and into said keeper hole when a prerequisite inertiaderived impetus is imparted to the bolt as a result of an emergency stop, said latch bolt adapted to be distorted in said keeper hole when thevehicle door is sprung out of its normal position.

2. For use in conjunction with an automobile body having at least one hingedly mounted door which has a deformable keeper hole therein at a prescribed place 4 for cooperation with an opening in the vehicle body which is in line with the keeper hole; a normally released inertia controlled vehicle door safety latch which is rendered operable if and when'the vehicle door is sprung out of normal alignment with said body by way of an emergency stop, comprising a barrel of uniform crosssection from end to end and closed at one end and open at its opposite end and provided at its open end with an attaching plate having an aperture corresponding in diameter to that of the keeper hole with which it is coopcrable, said plate being adapted to be removably attached to an intended portion of the vehicle body, a

latch bolt having a rearward body portion snugly fitting into said barrel and a reduced forward axial stern portion projectible through and beyond the aperture in said plate, the junctional portion between the body and stem portions constituting a shoulder, a coil spring also confined in said barrel and encircling said stem portion and bearing at its rearward end against said shoulder and at its forward end against said plate and acting on the latch bolt in a manner to confine and maintain the bolt normally in a retracted and released position in said barrel, the leading end of said bo'lt being in alignment with the open end of said barrel, said latch bolt being of a predetermined mass and inertia-controlled and said coil spring being of a predetermined and prescribed strength and correctly proportional to the mass of said latch bolt, said latch bolt being normally retracted and inert but being automatically propelled and caused to project against the tension of its spring when an impetus is imparted thereto as a result of an emergency stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 866,124 Fox Sept. 17, 1907 1,627,728 Conklin May 10, 1927 1,958,940 Cavanaugh et al. May 15, 1934 2,389,315 Kerr Nov. 20, 1945 2,490,213 Dickson Dec. 6, 1949 2,529,340 *Jarrett Nov. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,413 Switzerland Feb. 7, 1898 529,407 Great Britain May 8, 1940 

